Suchergebnisse

As of late, scholars of diverse disciplines observe the growing importance of social networks for sustainable development processes. However, in the social sciences concepts of Social Network Analysis (SNA) have been frequently used metaphorically for another purpose (Hwang and Moon 2009, 7). At the same time, metaphorical uses of models can be harmful. "Relying on metaphors as the foundation for policy advice can lead to results substantially different from those presumed to be likely" (Ostrom 2010). This paper argues that empirical techniques of SNA can support evidence-based decision making and policy advice. On this note, results of a theoretically based empirical study are introduced that illustrate why and how SNA provides innovative tools to foster learning processes and synergy effects, bring together key resources and technological know-how and promote advancements and the diffusion of innovative ideas. Furthermore, it is argued that SNA helps to interpret existing networks and to identify innovation potentials in order to generate new information and to reveal new options for further developments.

Executive Summary and Strategy Document (May 2006) The New Strategic Direction has a set of overarching long-term aims to: • Provide accessible and effective treatment and support for people who are consuming alcohol and/or using drugs in a potentially hazardous, harmful or dependent way. • Reduce the level, breadth and depth of alcohol and drug-related harm to users, their families and/or their carers and the wider community. • Increase awareness on all aspects of alcohol and drug-related harm in all settings and for all age groups. • Integrate those policies which contribute to the reduction of alcohol and drug-related harm into all Government Department strategies. • Develop a competent skilled workforce across all sectors that can respond to the complexities of alcohol and drug use and misuse. • Promote opportunities for those under the age of 18 years to develop appropriate skills, attitudes and behaviours to enable them to resist societal pressures to drink alcohol and/or use illicit drugs, with a particular emphasis on those identified as potentially vulnerable. • Reduce the availability of illicit drugs in Northern Ireland åÊ

It is often assumed that the problem with 'virtual reality' — the concept, its various technological deployments and the apparently oxymoronic phrase itself — has been our understanding, or perhaps misunderstanding, of the virtual. The real problem, however, is not with the virtual; it is with the real itself. This article investigates the undeniably useful but ultimately mistaken and somewhat misguided concept of the real that has been routinely operationalized in investigations of new media technology. The specific point of contact for the examination is the avatar. What is at issue here is not the complicated structures and articulations of avatar identity but the assumed 'real thing' that is said to be its ultimate cause and referent. In addressing this subject, the article considers three theories of the real, extending from Platonism to the recent innovations of Slavoj Žižek, and investigates their effect on our understanding of computer-generated experience and social interaction.

This article draws on data from qualitative interviews with ethnic enclave and ethnic economy business entrepreneurs from Chinese, Bangladeshi and Turkish-speaking communities in London. Routes into business and worker recruitment practices are explored, demonstrating the centrality of social capital in the form of family and other social networks within these processes. The article investigates what employers consider the desirable characteristics of workers: trust, kinship, gender, social networks, language compatibility and the needs of the business intersect with racialised notions of workers' strengths and characteristics. Finally, we consider changing practices in relation to the employment of undocumented migrants, in the context of an increasingly punitive legislative regime. The complex and variable impact of policy alongside the ways in which other obligations and positions outweigh the fear and risks of sanctions associated with non-compliance is revealed.

In this article, I examine the use of social network website (SNS) as an influential factor for offline protest activities and organizational memberships. The properties of SNSs may help encourage interpersonal interaction, broaden social ties, and provide valuable information about how to become civically and politically involved. I test these hypotheses using data from a survey of attendees fielded at the US Social Forum (USSF) and control for individual factors as well as alternative mobilizing channels. The empirical evidence suggests that attendees who learned of the meeting through SNSs were more likely to engage in offline protest activity and have a broader array of organizational memberships than were those who learned of the USSF through alternative information channels. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for social movement mobilization and persistence.

The LinkedIn profile is a platform to shape how other see you and explain how you impact lives. This book will explain exactly what you need to know to optimize your profile according to your goals so you can collide with your desired opportunities. Discover how to identify your personal keywords, utilize endorsements, and optimize your experiences. You'll also create a compelling summary that grabs the attention of a potential partner, client, or employer. --Publisher

The study examines the impact and utilization of social networks and media for disseminating scholarly information among social science research scholars in south universities of Tamil Nadu, India. The study analyzed the respondent coverage from the universities: University of Madras, Bharathiar University, Bharathidasan University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Alagappa University, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, and Periyar University. An aggregate of 520 polls appropriated to the respondents out of eight universities in Tamil Nadu and 501 (96.34%) of the filled survey got from the respondents in the social science departments of the universities for the examination. The task of research has taken effort to collect the data to find out usefulness and impact of the social media and networks among the respondents in the selected state universities of Tamil Nadu.